Combination air duct and girder



Oct. 2, 1951 H. E. VENUTl COMBINATION AIR DUCT AND GIRDER 3 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Aug. 8, 194'? mm, w QM Gm m v fl m U R ll K m 9m m t W Henry E.Venu/i Oct. 2, 1951 H. E. VENUTI 2,569,910

COMBINATION AIR DUCT AND GIRDER Filed Aug. 8, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f vFig.

i a E a K- i I w Inventor Henry E Venuri Oct. 2, 1951 H. E. VENUTI2,569,910

COMBINATION AIR DUCT AND GIRDER Henry E. Venufi 2mm WWW 8 Patented Oct.2, 1951 -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,569,910 COMBINATION AIR DUCT ANDGIRDER Henry E. Venuti, Newburgh, N. Y.

Application August 8, 1947, Serial No. 767,469

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combination air duct and girder and has forits primary object to conserve space in a building and at the same timefacilitate the distribution of heating or cooling air throughout thebuilding.

Among its features, this invention embodies a combination girder and airduct comprising an elongated rectangular tube having a wall thickness ofnot less than one-fourth of an inch, said tube having longitudinallyspaced air discharge openings in its side walls adjacent the upper edgesthereof and said tube having an air inlet opening in its bottom wallnear one end.

Other features include a reenforcing truss structure extendinglongitudinally through the tube to improve its weight-sustainingqualities.

Inthe drawings, I I

Figure l is a plan View of a building showing this combination air ductand girder in position therein with the lateral air distributing ductsin place, the return duct and the air circulating means coupled thereto,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along theline 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale takensubstantially along the line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 4-4 of ure 1) Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentarysectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 6-6 of Figure 1,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 1-1 of Figure 1,

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view through a truss reinforcedgirder, and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 99 ofFigure 8.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a building designated generally Icomprises a basement floor II from which rise side walls I2 between theupper and lower ends of which a fioor I3 is supported by the side wallsI2 and a girder designated generally I4.

The girder I4 above referred to comprises an elongated rectangular tubeI provided at opposite ends with end closures I6 and having formedtherein at longitudinally spaced intervals in its side walls airdischarge openings Il. Opening through the bottom wall of the girdernear one end is an air intake opening I8 to which the discharge end ofair circulating means I9 is coupled. The air circulating means I9 abovereferred to preferably comprises an air heating furnace having an aircirculating fan connected therewith so that air may be circulatedthrough the system mechanically as well as by means of convection.

Leading from the tube I5 are air conveying ducts 26 which dischargethrough suitable gratings 2| into the various spaces or enclosureswithin the building It]. Rotatably supported on shafts 22 which extendthrough the ducts 20 adjacent the ends which open into the tube I5 aredampers 23 by means of which the flow of air through the individualducts may be regulated. Fixed to one end of each shaft is a lever 24 bymeans of which the shaft may be rotated in order to adjust the positionof the damper 23 within the duct 20.

Extending around the interior of the building immediately beneath thebottom of the tube 55 is an air return duct 26 which is provided atspaced intervals with lateral ducts 21 which lead into the spaces to beheated for withdrawing the air therefrom and circulating it through theair circulator I9. This duct is provided with an air discharge openingwhich communicates: with the circulator I9, so that the air may beextracted from the spaces in the building to be passed through thecirculator for heating or cooling, as the case may be, and thendischarged from the circulator through the tube I5 and ducts 20 backinto the spaces within the building. In this way, the proper temperaturewithin the spaces within the building may be maintained.

In the modified form of the invention as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9,a tube 28 corresponding in all respects to the tube I5 is of rectangularformation and provided with longitudinally spaced air discharge openings29 to which air distributing ducts 36 are connected. Extendingvertically through the tube 28 intermediate opposite sides inlongitudinally spaced relation are vertical struts 3i between Whichdiagonal struts 32 extend. These struts cooperate in forming areinforcing truss which extends longitudinally throughout the length ofthe tube 28 in order to improve its weight-sustaining qualities.

The side, top and bottom Walls of the tubes I5 and 28 are preferablyformed of steel plate of not less than one-fourth of an inch inthickness with the junctions welded together to form a transverselyrectangular steel tube through the side walls of which the air dischargeopenings ex ture will lend materially to the rigidity of the 1 tube andfinds utility particularly when there are long spans between the girdersupports.

In use, the tube [5 or the tube 28, as the case may be, is employed as agirder to support the loads imposed upon the floors'o'f buildings andthe like and by reason of the tubular structure they also may beemployed to serv'ea's ducts through which air may be circulated anddis=- tributed to the various spaces within the building in orderadequately to heat or cool the 'same, as the case may be.

While in the foregoing there-has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of'this invention, it is to beunderstood that minor 7 changesin the details of'construction, combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed;

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A load sustaining air duct comprising a longitudinally disposedelongated transversely rectangular tube, longitudinally spacedvertically extending struts within the tube fixed at opposite ends tothe top and bottom Walls of the tube, diagonal struts withinthe tubeextending between the upper ends'of alternate vertical struts to thelower "ends of the intermediate, vertical struts, the

side walls of said tube having longitudinally spaced air dischargeopenings therein adjacent their upper edges.

2. A load sustaining air duct comprising a longitudinally disposedsubstantially rectangular tube, a plurality of longitudinally spacedvertically extending struts within said tube, said struts beingterminally secured to the top and bottom walls. of the tube, diagonalstruts within said 0 tube extending between theupper ends of alternatevertical struts to the lower ends of intermediate vertical struts, aplurality of longitudinally spaced air discharge apertures in the sidewalls o f said tube, said apertures being adjacent and upper edges ofsaid sid walls of said tube and medial a pair of adjacent verticalstruts.

HENRY E. VENUTI.

, REFERENGES CITED The following references are of I record in the fileof this patent:

UNITEDQSTA'IES PATENTS

